At the Boughs of Yggdrasil
by RanOutOfBatteries
Summary: Sebastian had never remembered much of the older myths and legends, but it seemed that he would have to research more in-depth. He meets an existence that he had never encountered before, and yet for some reason it is all too familiar to him.


Hi. I'm a sucker for writing stories involving my own character, so I decided to make yet another one to add to my growing collection of unfinished works. Thank you for your time.

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Chapter 1

Sebastian had not always been known as Sebastian, of course. A long time ago, in countless far-off countries and times and distances, he had played his role as a demon and struck fear in the hearts of mankind. He had destroyed souls, caused them never to return to the mortal world or to heaven. He had ruined minds. Demons had not known what to make of him other than to respect and fear his presence, and he was likened to the devil.

A flattering prospect, but entirely untrue. Lucifer did not go so far as to ruin lives: he swallowed their hearts as well, tore their tongues metaphorically until they could not speak, indebted forever in a situation they themselves had not known they would fall into.

Needless to say, his hands were not clean and never would be. But what else would he be if not efficient? He had lived for a long time, and he was far older than the lesser brethren of his race that took what they received without a moment's hesitation. He _craved_. A picky eater, if you will.

He had been caught off guard only once.

It was during a snowstorm. The cold bit harshly at his skin while he flew rather leisurely through the stormy weather, only slightly concerned of how it impaired his eyesight. Dark clouds were the least of his problems, and a blizzard did not affect him as painfully as it did to humans. Weak, defenseless beings, he mused with a lack of remorse. They were so easy to feast upon that it had become lackluster, bland to his ever-hungering palate.

He had been wandering for quite some time while looking for a strong soul, one who had suffered through much and did not cave despite the consequences. It was quite the fruitless venture: there were already so few of those coveted souls, and the ones that still existed were hidden or quickly taken by stronger demons. It was a rare gem to find, and if he did ever find one he would most definitely make it last.

However, he had sensed that there was a source of light coming from below him. He caught a glimpse of a well-lit, homely-looking establishment. A house, not big enough to be a barn but with the appearance of a cottage. Plumes of smoke came tumbling in his direction from the open chimney, and Sebastian caught the hint of wood kindling and pine, and strangely something else: a long-forgotten scent, not human and not god. He recognized it, but he did not know where.

The thought popped into his head, something he had not found himself thinking for a very long time. He wished to know what the source was. Curiosity did not come to him often, and he was not about to let it flee again.

He came down with a light tap against the frost-covered window.

Peering through the glass with a spark of interest and through slitted pupils, he could distinguish the shapes of several figures bustling about in their residence. It was nearing that human celebration that people so adored, Christmas - he remembered this just barely through drunken conversations of men in a bar, mourning about how they'd have to miss their families and continue working - and assumed that they were preparing for the long Eve ahead. It was quite interesting, to say the least.

His own form was demonic, feared upon sight by humans for his tainted appearance and talons meant to rend flesh. He was a sight to behold, and the cost of looking were their eyes. He could not stay, now, could he? He shifted back in a subconscious movement, unwilling to be spotted.

He remembered his own faint hunger. He had not eaten in the past several centuries, and it was beginning to thaw at his patience. He turned around, ready to leave once more-

Then suddenly, the window was pushed open. Sebastian stumbled back, wide-eyed.

"Hello!" The girl - was she a girl? - grinned cheerfully, hand gesturing for him to come closer. She was practically leaning outside with half her body bracing against the cold, vibrant red hair moving alongside the bitter wind. "Come in, come in! You look cold and lost and maybe a bit hungry, we have plenty to spare!"

"I..." Sebastian had no other words, because the person opened the front door next and started pulling him forward, heaving ho. He stumbled.

_When did she even step outside? Is she barefoot? _

"Come on, it's hella cold outside! Don't worry about the floor, I'll clean up the mess. Take your shoes off at the door, please."

The demon hastened to comply, unable to pry himself free from her grip without seeming rude or using an insane amount of force. The girl propped up a chair at the table and let him sit down, taking the heavy black coat off his back before calling out to her companions: two adults, probably their parents, various siblings and possible friends, and one elder man that would most likely be her grandfather. He blinked slowly, unable to comprehend just how fast she had done everything.

He felt as if he'd been hurtled into a whirlwind.

"Let's have dinner, then! I've invited a new guest."

"Idiot, do you even know who this person is?" A man who seemed to be in his early twenties eyed him over, clearly distrustful. He was holding a bucket of what seemed to be goat's milk, and currently it was being poured into a large glass jar to put into storage. Sebastian kindly averted his gaze to the rest of the party. The younger boy sitting next to him promptly smacked the man across the back of his head. "Ouch! You stupid fuck-"

"Hey! Watch your damn language!"

The guy gestured quickly at the other as if to insinuate how hypocritical that sentence had just been, but the reprimanding kid seemed blissfully unaware of the way his companion was signaling him. Sebastian quickly covered up a chuckle and turned it into a small cough instead.

The couple seemed only to have eyes for each other, although the woman did glance over once to wave a friendly greeting. Sebastian nodded slightly, somehow unwilling to interrupt their moment, and watched the grandfather sitting near the fireplace begin to herd the children around him as they clambered around, listening attentively. It appeared that they were telling folktales.

Two more of the said children were carrying wooden bowls filled with berries, much to his surprise. It was deep into the winter season, where the only things left on the bushes were brambles and thorns. Where had they gotten those from?

_Family._

It was an unfamiliar term and feeling to him. Demons were known to be solitary creatures, unaccustomed to dealing with each other apart from internal feuds and finding a suitable partner. Sebastian felt completely out of place, observing a scene that he just so happened to be a part of but had no idea what to do while in it.

"You don't need to feel so tense," the quiet lilting tone came up from behind him. Sebastian turned his head to catch a glimpse of the girl he'd first seen, face blank and unassuming. It was a stark contrast to her earlier personality, which made him draw up a bit as he watched her. "Not all of the people here are exactly human, either, if you want to know."

Sebastian did not show his surprise outwardly, but the smallest twitch let her catch on to his thoughts. "It's fine, demon. You can stay for as long as you wish."

"What is your name?" He asked. She raised a brow at him in amusement, that slight hint of a grin returning.

"You know that things don't work like that around here. You can call me Java, though. That's been my name for several millennia."

She has likely lived even longer than him, then. He had only come about just a few thousand years ago, but she seemed to have existed for eons.

The girl paused. "You don't have to give me a name. I will continue to call you 'demon' regardless. Not for formality's sake, but there are several people here who are wary of your kind."

Sebastian nodded. "Understandable."

Java leaned back, and despite their earlier conversation that action seemed so utterly _human _as her voice took on a note of fondness. "Is this your first Christmas celebration? I'll admit, it took me a while to realize how kind they were to invite me in, and how alone I used to be before."

Sebastian contemplated the actions of this particular individual. He often did think about the trivial matters of men, no matter how much he claimed that he was indifferent to their actions. He had seen terrible things: rape, pillage, burning others to the ground for their own self-benefit.

"Sometimes it is better to be alone, is it not?"

Java nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly. "But even demons must have some form of companionship. It seems quite sad to be alone for most of your life."

"...I suppose."

Yes, it was true: he did feel that sharp, throbbing pain in his chest even now, watching an event that he knew he could never truly be a part of. Sebastian turned his head away, excusing himself without using words. Java watched him head outside with a smile that didn't seem all quite there.

"What do you look like under that human disguise?" Java asked with some form of curiosity.

With an indifferent glance to make sure there were no eavesdroppers or spectators, he showed her a glimpse of what remained hidden: black, feathery wings, dark irises, and a chaotic aura of malice that shivered from within. She leaned in to stare at his face without much terror or adulation - it was a mere assessment, a suitable note of what demons could look like and their various attributes.

"Raven," she said, and there was a hint of laughter in her voice. "Or crow? I know they have differences, and there are many pieces of folklore where crows are associated with war and death, or are connected to the otherworld. There is one raven god I know in particular, and they have never mentioned being connected to a raven demon, either."

"Crows are harbingers of death, known to call out when flying from above. Their cry is unmistakable."

"I see," she said, and despite himself Sebastian smiled.

"Eat a little, come on," the woman called, and Sebastian realized that they had all moved over to the dining area, where the seats had already been set. Java stood up and invited him closer, treading across the polished floorboards without a moment's hesitation. He followed in shorter movements, feeling still as if he had stepped into the wrong place.

It wasn't as if demons could not eat, it was simply that the food humans ate were not filling and were a luxury item. Sebastian took a couple of bites just to be polite, then set his fork down and watched them interact with each other in such a carefree manner.

It was obvious that Java was the only non-human within the household - the rest of the family looked to be related to each other in some shape or form, completely unaware of what exactly they had been keeping. But then the small boy leaned over, looking up at him innocently as he asked another question.

"Are you a fae like Java is?"

"Hush!" The woman whispered, smacking him on the head much like the boy had done earlier to his own brother, but Sebastian had already caught the words and glanced over at Java, who did not seem worried at all about that bit of information.

She stayed for a while longer while Sebastian left the next day. Centuries later, he did ask her what her purpose had been in that house. She replied.

"They were all fated to die that day. The disease was airborne and had infected several of their livestock already. I was merely there to make it a better time for their passing." She shrugged. "They knew already that I wasn't human, but I let them guess what I was in return. They weren't completely on the mark."

"If you weren't there, I might have gained a meal that night," Sebastian mentioned, and she turned her eyes to him. Java nodded as if she knew this.

"No, that would make sense. I've heard that demons enjoy the pain and suffering of souls the most," Java mused. "Along with how strong their will is. But I think everyone finds a fondness for those sorts of people."

"Yes."

The second time he met her was long after the wake of a world war, where their feeble minds could not understand the tactics that could sweep their nations into dust, where atomic bombs had not been thought of, where the concept of peace was too good and too tantalizing for them to realize how Germany still warred in their hearts. Another conflict was brewing, and Sebastian reveled in it.

She stood there amongst the sound of screaming and broken sobs, interrupted by gunfire and flares. She was still the same age, in appearance: young, too young for the background as bombs dropped from the sky and the wind howled in pain, shrieking in an unheard plea to _stop, stop_. Her face was grim.

"We meet again," she said, and he realized that she was in an imperfect state, blood smeared across her cheek and left shoulder, mud caked on the back of her leg. Her clothes were torn in several places. "War is a terrible thing, but it makes way for better times. What would we be without conflict?"

_If the world were perfect, then what use would gods be for?_

"What are you doing here?" He asked instead. Java did not gesture with her hands but with her eyes, and his flickered over to the area she was standing over, bodies amassed like torn dolls without the proper stitching, limbs pulled off and ripped apart. Demons had passed through as well, but the people would likely think it had been the result of a particularly forceful cannon.

"Do you know why demons exist?" She asked, and Sebastian found himself surprised by the question.

"Because angels do."

"Then why do angels exist?"

"Because they are things that humans wish for. All the good in the world has been attributed to them, as with good spirits and souls."

And yet why would demons rank lower than humans? Because they are on the opposite sides of the spectrum? The lowest of devils toiled amongst the earthly evils while the purest of angels reside in heaven, but why would humans mark themselves in the middle? Surely they do not think themselves as that competent. He voiced as such aloud.

"On the morality scale, that term of thinking would be correct," Java said, "although you surely knew that. Of course, why humans would choose to insert themselves into any sort of situation is also not very surprising when you think about it. They watch, they listen, and then they write their own stories. It is a humble existence, for they have no use for anything other than this."

Then she swept one hand and the mess around her disappeared. Sebastian did not move or blink an eye. He had seen far greater feats of the gods and of magic. This was mere child's play.

"Once upon a time, we all came from the same birthplace: at Yggdrasil's roots." Java spoke those words with absolute certainty, and Sebastian's gaze darted to her. "And when she withered the worlds trembled, and they all split apart from each other. What if, in some alternate universe where everything were reversed, you had been something else entirely? A human, perhaps? One of the many who had fallen dead in wars like these? A lost soul, or a fae, or an angel..."

"Who are you?" He asked, and this time Java smiled. There was no verbal response, but with another sweep of her hand the bodies returned.

"I am a part of this universe, as with all," she intoned, and there was a deeper meaning behind those coded words that Sebastian found himself quite irritated with as she disappeared without a trace. He liked to be the one who made the riddles, not the one solving them. Especially when there were so many viable answers when the truth lay behind only one.

Then again, he thought as he began to search for his next meal while engines roared, he always did enjoy hearing tales.

The third time was at his lowest. He had been denying himself a human soul for a very long time, and it had come before him in a blaze of vengeful intention. He had been hungering for so very long and would give up his freedom for a brief period, and this particular soul would be worth the wait. "Give me your power. I command you!"

Sebastian was about to agree and brand his mark when the boy - Ciel Phantomhive - stumbled back in shock. He turned around and there she was, idly pickpocketing the dead bodies of a few of the cultists.

"Oh, oops, was I interrupting something? Carry on," Java said, and despite himself Sebastian laughed as the contract between demon and human was formed. "A nobleman's child from the darkest of aristocrats. I should've known."

"How do you know these things?" Sebastian asked as he shook his head rather fondly, and despite the rhetorical question Java scratched her chin and thought for a moment.

"...I know many things," she concluded after an unnecessarily long period of time thinking, and with that brand sealed across Ciel's right eye in a Faustian contract she knelt and retrieved the signet ring that he had so longingly coveted, dropping the bloody object into the boy's hands. Ciel sneered a bit in disgust but quickly pocketed the item, turning to his new obedient servant.

"Take me home," he demanded, and with a flourish Sebastian replied.

"Yes, my lord."

There they parted ways. It was a brief moment and Sebastian had no interest in bringing up the subject, but then the Phantomhive child turned in his hands and said, "who was the girl?"

"Not a human," he replied elusively. Ciel scowled, then tried again.

"I order you to tell me who she is."

"She told me her name was Java," Sebastian spoke again, feeling a bit more charitable this time as his smile grew. He was flustering the poor boy, they could both tell.

Ciel gave his instruction one last time. "Then what exactly is this 'Java?'"

"I...I do not know, my lord."

"Oh?"

The thought did pull at him for a while after their meeting during the war. Sebastian had searched through many books and libraries, hoping that he would eventually stumble over what that riddle had meant or what she could possibly be referencing. He had found nothing. The ageless often had some sort of rumor or myth circulating around them, and yet Sebastian had never heard of someone like her.

The nameless.

Ciel no longer mentioned her again, either, and they fell into a quiet coexistence as they became accustomed to their new roles in the Phantomhive estate. They hired several incompetent-but-convincing fools, maintained the manor, and completed the tasks the Queen required of Ciel. They were acquaintances with the underworld, after all, and they did all the dirty work.

_God save the Queen,_ Ciel muttered under his breath as he read the paperwork Sebastian had given him for the day. A lot of these documents were for the toy company he had managed to get up and running, and the expenses were nothing to sneeze at, but so far it had gone through smoothly. People were interested not only for the Phantomhive name, but also the noble boy running it. _An orphan, _they spoke with such pity that it made Ciel's blood boil. _A shame that they had been taken at such a young age._

"Pitiful, pitiable existences," he had cursed them, alone, while reading high above the mansion's doors as light filtered into his quarters. His back faced the sun, and quickly he called for Sebastian as he read through the many sheets and glanced around the desk to see piles more, waiting to be sifted through. He held back a scowl.

"Close the curtains now, Sebastian."

"Yes, my lord."

And as the butler left to arrange his morning breakfast, Ciel's eyes fell shut as he rested against the armchair he sat in and lay still, unmoving. He would have to return several letters soon with a response of his own, but he didn't feel like rushing today.

"Master, are you still half asleep?" Sebastian had not even made a sound when he returned, but once the demon spoke Ciel could hear the light rattling of the wheels against the cart, the tray being set before him along with his multiple utensils. "Breakfast has arrived. I have prepared scones and a simple spread of butter and blackberry jam, along with a new brand of tea that you said you had grown fond of."

"I see," Ciel spoke absentmindedly as he reached for his butter knife, and inwardly Sebastian felt ill.

He had never shown much respect for mankind, but as Sebastian undertook the list of things required of him as a servant and caretaker he had never expected for the boy to become so dependent at times. Yes, he maintained the company he had acquired and maintained appearances and held financial affairs, but in simple matters such as buttoning up his own clothing or tying his own shoelaces Ciel was laughably unable to do so.

Such were the wealthy.

This was one of the many things he had endured throughout his making contracts. He had been a servant, a spouse, a sibling, a soldier, and everything in between. He had acted his part accordingly, and it was blasphemous to think he would perform any less. He had gone through much to become human.

Suffice to say, he still felt nothing for the boy. His soul would be exquisite, but his stubborn person neither fascinated nor revulsed him. Ciel felt likewise, which was startlingly mature and unlike many of the children he had cared for previously. It reminded him that this soul had been reshaped, suffered through much to become who he was now, and that was all for the better.

Sebastian slowly set the empty teacup down in front of him and poured the hot water in, filling it a little more than three-quarters full without spilling a single drop or nearing the brim and overflowing. He had figured out Ciel's preferred amount of tea in the mornings and successfully lessened it so that his appetite could increase over the next few hours. Otherwise, the earl might complain that he was not hungry enough to eat lunch. Which meant he would want a snack.

Ciel always wanted snacks.

Sebastian could not say he was bored, and yet these meticulous tasks felt as if they were slowly becoming ingrained into him. He made sure to find different menus for Ciel so that it would be more entertaining for the both of them - dishes he knew from living with the wealthy, desserts he had seen from the past, various foods from far-off lands so that it could be seen as exotic. It was off-putting to Ciel at how easily Sebastian could make all these things, which added to the question: how long had this demon lived?

"Not long," Sebastian had laughed upon being prompted, but Ciel could claim otherwise. "Long for a human, yes, but I know a ... friend... who has lived much longer."

"And how long have you lived?" Ciel asked again, wondering just how old this other person must be for even Sebastian to seem so reverent. The demon cleared his thoughts and answered the question succinctly.

"Give or take several centuries, I will be about eight thousand years old."

Ciel frowned. He didn't really have much to base it upon, but he took it in stride. "For all the struggles it took humanity to evolve, I'd assume that demonkind has lived for much longer than that."

"That is correct, my lord. Heaven and hell have warred far longer than that, though for how long I am not quite certain." Sebastian inclined his head slightly. "For all the books that claim that demons and angels are born from humans, that is quite the preposterous tale. But regarding the question of where and when demons were made I can only remember the fall of angels."

Fallen angels were an entirely separate matter from demons, however. Sebastian's frown became more prominent as he continued on this train of thought. He had encountered such creatures before, rude abominations that annoyed both grim reaper and his own kind. They wished to purify the impure in a catastrophic doomsday occurrence and remake humanity, to kill the world and revive it from the ashes. They hindered his existence tremendously.

Perhaps they had evolved from angels to rebel against the heavens. Fallen angels, however stupid they were, still believed in the existence of their God. It was a shame.

Vaguely he remembered Java's words about the coming of Yggdrasil. The World Tree, built on the foundations of hell and supporting the weight of the realms. It was an old Norse tale that he did not frequently encounter, but there it was again. The ends of his mouth turned upward in the hint of a smile, remembering the girl's conviction.

She believed it so wholeheartedly, and yet in the end that tree had disappeared just like the gods that the angels believed in.

"What's so funny?" Ciel asked, well aware of the expression that had taken on Sebastian's face. The butler composed himself.

"Nothing, my lord. I just remembered something quite amusing."

"The slaughter of humans, I presume. No matter. Carry on with your duties."

"Yes, my lord."

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Thank you for reading. I'm not sure how I'll continue with this, but I have a vague idea.

To the next chapter!


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